West Lodge, Blacksmith Lane, Chilworth, Guildford, GU4 8NQ

25/P/00764Full ApplicationRefused

Full

Refused on 30 October 2025

Council decision: RefuseDelegated (officer decision)4 reasons for refusal

Approximate location: the centre of the postcode, not the exact property.

Proposal

Single storey rear extension, separate to host dwelling and linked by a glazed covered walkway, together with renewal of existing fenestration.

Received: 26 May 2025
Decision level: Delegated (officer decision)
Public comments: 9
Council: Guildford Borough Council
Ward: Tillingbourne
Agent: Parkers Design

ReceivedReceived26 May
ValidatedValidated8 Jul
Consult.Consultation15 Aug
TargetTarget Date2 Sep
DecidedDecided30 Oct

Decided in 114 days (council typically 63)

About this application

This is a full planning application for a single storey rear extension at West Lodge, Blacksmith Lane, Chilworth, Guildford, GU4 8NQ. Guildford has handled 2,986 applications of this type. This one was decided in 157 days, 13 weeks longer than Guildford's typical decision time. The site is in the Chilworth Gunpowder Mills conservation area, with 2 listed buildings nearby. There have been 6 other applications at this address. In the past year there have been 173 applications across Tillingbourne. We hold 957 applications in total for the GU4 postcode area.

85% of full applications at Guildford Borough Council were approved. Across all application types, the council typically decides in about 9 weeks (median).

Based on decided applications received in the last 3 years.Planning something similar? See what gets approved on your street

Why it was refused

The proposed development would be a disproportionate addition to the original building due to the increase in the footprint, mass and bulk. This would amount to inappropriate development and very special circumstances would not outweigh this harm. Therefore the development would be contrary to policy P2 of the Local Plan: Strategy and Sites 2015 - 2034, the Green Belt SPD and the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF).
The proposed development by virtue of the materiality of the replacement windows and design approach of the single storey rear extensions would result in less than substantial harm to the significance of the Grade II listed West Lodge, the appearance a 'Building of Streetscape Merit' in the Chilworth Gunpowder Mills Conservation Area and the setting of the Chilworth gunpowder works Scheduled Monument. The public benefits do not outweigh this harm. This would be contrary to policy D3 of the Local Plan: Strategy and Sites 2015 - 2034, policies D18, D19, D20 and D21 of the Local Plan: Development Management Policies 2023, the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) and the requirements of Section 66(1) and Section 72(1) of the Planning (Listed Building and Conservation Areas) Act 1990.
The proposed development by virtue of the materiality of the replacement windows and design approach of the single storey rear extensions would result in harm to the appearance of the existing building and appear as unduly prominent and incongruous development in the streetscene. This would be contrary to policy D1 of the Local Plan: Strategy and Sites 2015 - 2034, policies H4 and D4 of the Local Plan: Development Management Policies 2023, the Residential Extensions and Alterations Guide SPD and the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF).
The applicant has failed to provide evidence that proposed development would not result in likely negative effects on the habitat of Great Crested Newts a protected species. This would be contrary to policy P6 of the Local Plan: Development Management Policies 2023, the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), Circular 06/2005, Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2017 and the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.

From the council's decision notice.

Application details

Postcode: GU4 8NQ
Application type: Full Application
Scale / size: Small
Parish: St. Martha

Planning application dates

Date validated: 8 July 2025
Consultation expiry: 15 August 2025
Consultation start: 18 July 2025
Consultation end: 15 August 2025
Neighbour consultation start: 16 July 2025
Neighbour consultation end: 15 August 2025
Last date for comments: 2 September 2025
Target decision date: 2 September 2025
Decision issued: 31 October 2025

Applicant and agent

Agent: Parkers Design
Agent address: 3 The Peak, Rowlands Castle, PO9 6AH

Planning decision

Statutory period: 56 days

Publicity

Last advertised: 25 July 2025
Advertisement expiry: 15 August 2025
Site notice start: 18 July 2025
Site notice end: 15 August 2025

Additional information

Planning Portal ID: PP-14022387
Documents: 19

Site constraints

Checking the site

2/3

Council recordsAppealsFlood risk

Designations at the address point. Ones next to the site may also apply.

Conservation area: Chilworth Gunpowder Mills
Flood zone 1: Low probability (rivers and sea)

Not published by this council, so not checked: Article 4 directions and tree preservation orders. Ask the council if these matter.

Also checked, none recorded (21)

flood storage areas, listed buildings, green belt, scheduled monuments, World Heritage Sites, World Heritage Site buffer zones, registered parks and gardens, registered battlefields, Heritage at Risk entries, nutrient neutrality catchments, national parks, National Landscapes, SSSIs, Special Areas of Conservation, Special Protection Areas, Ramsar sites, ancient woodland, national nature reserves, local nature reserves, heritage coasts and brownfield registers.

A guide only, from official open data; it is not a planning search. Flood zones cover rivers and sea, not surface water.

Data © Crown copyright and others · sources and licences

Contains public sector information from planning.data.gov.uk (MHCLG and local planning authorities), licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. © Crown copyright and database right 2026.

© Historic England 2026. Contains Ordnance Survey data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. The Historic England GIS Data contained in this material was obtained on 2026-11-03. The most publicly available up to date Historic England GIS Data can be obtained from HistoricEngland.org.uk.

Contains Ordnance Survey data © Crown copyright and database right 2026.

Associated applications

2025
26 May
Single storey rear extension, separate to host dwelling and linked by a glazed covered walkway, together with…
This applicationRefusedFull25/P/00764
2025
26 May
Listed building consent for the erection of a single storey rear extension, separate to host dwelling and…
RefusedListed building consentFiled alongside25/P/00765

Planning history at this site

5 other applications at this property, newest first.

Source: Guildford

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